Volume 45, Issue 9 pp. 2481-2498
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

On the effect of confining pressure on fatigue failure of block-in-matrix soils exposed to multistage cyclic triaxial loads

Yu Wang

Corresponding Author

Yu Wang

Beijing Key Laboratory of Urban Underground Space Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, School of Civil and Resource Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, China

Key Laboratory of Geological Environment Intelligent Monitoring and Disaster Prevention and Control of Henan Province, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, China

Correspondence

Yu Wang and Yujie Su, Key Laboratory of Geological Environment Intelligent Monitoring and Disaster Prevention and Control of Henan Province, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou 450045, China.

Email: [email protected] and [email protected]

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Yujie Su

Corresponding Author

Yujie Su

Key Laboratory of Geological Environment Intelligent Monitoring and Disaster Prevention and Control of Henan Province, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, China

Correspondence

Yu Wang and Yujie Su, Key Laboratory of Geological Environment Intelligent Monitoring and Disaster Prevention and Control of Henan Province, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou 450045, China.

Email: [email protected] and [email protected]

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Yingjie Xia

Yingjie Xia

State Key Laboratory of Coastal and Offshore Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China

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Hongjian Wang

Hongjian Wang

Key Laboratory of Geological Environment Intelligent Monitoring and Disaster Prevention and Control of Henan Province, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou, China

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Xuefeng Yi

Xuefeng Yi

Beijing Key Laboratory of Urban Underground Space Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, School of Civil and Resource Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, China

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First published: 08 June 2022
Citations: 22

Funding information: National Key Technologies Research & Development Program, Grant/Award Number: 2018YFC0808402; National Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant/Award Number: 52174069; Key Laboratory of Geological Environment Intelligent Monitoring and Disaster Prevention and Control of Henan Province, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Grant/Award Number: ZDZX2020001; Beijing Natural Science Foundation, Grant/Award Number: 8202033

Abstract

This paper discusses the multi-level cyclic triaxial testing of bimsoils (block-in-matrix soils), which are chaotic, mechanically and/or spatially heterogeneous geological masses in geotechnical construction. The cyclic triaxial tests simulate the behavior of bimsoil material under varying number of passing vehicle wheels. It is found that the applied confining pressure alters the stress state of the tested bimsoil and a transmission from strain softening to strain hardening occurs. The bimsoil deformation, strength, fatigue life, and stiffness are improved as the ambient pressure increases. The strain rate analysis reveals that the strong volumetric dilatancy occurs earlier for a bimsoil under relatively low confining pressure. Post-test CT scanning shows the mesoscopic structural changes inside the bimsoil, including the multiple interface cracking behaviors and crack propagation surrounding the rock blocks. It is suggested that the contact, interlocking, occlusion, and separation among the existing blocks greatly contribute to the volume dilatancy characteristics of bimsoil under high ambient pressure.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The experimental data used to support the findings of this study are included within the article.

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